What Does a Longevity Check-Up Actually Measure?

Longevity Check-up: What Is Measured and What Does It Really Offer?

You feel healthy. Your last visit to the GP may have been one or two years ago, and there were no abnormal findings. You are in your mid-40s, professionally active, and you occasionally find time for exercise. So why consider a longevity check-up?

Because many relevant health risks can remain silent for a long time. Chronic inflammatory activity, insulin resistance, or early calcification of the arteries often develop over years without clear symptoms before they show up as a heart attack, type 2 diabetes, or other manifest diseases. Many services within standard healthcare only come into play once there is already a specific suspicion or an established disease. Preventive medicine starts earlier.

A comprehensive longevity check-up is the first step toward moving from a reactive to a proactive health strategy. But what is actually measured? The term “longevity” is popular, but often vague. This article explains which scientifically grounded measurements make up a serious longevity check-up: from advanced blood testing to functional diagnostics, imaging, and genetic analyses.

Longevity Check-up vs. Check-up 35: A Direct Comparison

The “Check-up 35” provided by statutory health insurance is an important basic preventive examination. It gives a fundamental snapshot, but its scope is naturally limited. The YEARS Core® program intentionally goes several steps further.

The fundamental difference lies in the question being asked: instead of checking only whether a disease is already present, the aim is to identify risks and early indicators as early as possible.

The YEARS Core® diagnostic program creates a data-based baseline of your health in a single day, going far beyond the standard.

The 4 Pillars of a Comprehensive Longevity Check-up

A modern, scientifically grounded longevity check-up is based on four connected pillars that together create a holistic picture of your body.

1. Advanced Blood Analysis: More Than 80 Biomarkers for a Clearer Picture

Your blood is an information system. An advanced laboratory panel analyzes markers that are often missing from standard check-ups, but may be important for early risk detection.

Key Biomarkers in Detail:

ApoB (Apolipoprotein B): LDL cholesterol measures the amount of cholesterol inside “bad” particles. ApoB counts the number of these atherogenic particles themselves. Especially in metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, it is often the more precise marker for your cardiovascular risk (Soffer et al., 2024).

hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein): This value measures low-grade, chronic inflammatory activity in the body. Elevated hs-CRP levels are associated with increased cardiovascular risk and may indicate systemic inflammatory processes.

HOMA Index: Calculated from fasting insulin and fasting glucose, it estimates possible insulin resistance. It is not a standalone diagnostic marker for diabetes, but it can help classify metabolic dysregulation earlier, particularly when fasting glucose or HbA1c still appear normal.

NT-proBNP: This marker indicates increased strain or wall stress of the heart muscle. Elevated values may point to cardiac stress or early heart failure, but they always need to be interpreted in clinical context.

Organ Function & Nutrients: Comprehensive panels for liver and kidney values, thyroid hormones (TSH, fT3, fT4), as well as vitamin D and ferritin complete the picture.

2. Functional Diagnostics: How Capable Is Your Body Really?

Physical performance is one of the most robust indicators of longevity and overall health.

VO₂max (cardiopulmonary exercise testing): This test measures your maximum oxygen uptake and is considered the gold standard for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness. A high VO₂max is one of the strongest known predictors of a long and healthy life (Mandsager et al., 2018). Specifically: people in the lowest fitness group had more than a fivefold higher mortality risk in the JAMA study than those in the highest fitness group.

Lung Function (Body Plethysmography): Body plethysmography precisely measures lung volumes, thoracic gas volume, and airway resistance, meaning dimensions that simple spirometry does not fully capture. Gas exchange itself is assessed through additional procedures such as diffusing capacity (DLCO).

Muscle Strength and Balance: Tests such as grip strength measurement or balance analyses are simple, yet meaningful indicators of your functional strength and fall risk later in life.

3. Imaging From Within: From Ultrasound to Whole-Body MRI

Imaging procedures make structural changes visible before they cause symptoms.

Advanced Ultrasound (in Core®): A painless, radiation-free look at your internal organs. At YEARS, the heart, abdominal organs (e.g. fatty liver), thyroid, and carotid arteries are examined for deposits.

AI-supported Skin Screening (in Core®): A system for automated total body mapping scans your entire skin surface. Such systems can systematically document suspicious or new pigmented lesions and support dermatological assessment. They do not replace medical evaluation, but they may add relevant value for follow-up and documentation.

Whole-Body MRI (from Evolve®): This radiation-free examination can make structural anomalies or early abnormalities in the body visible. In screenings of healthy people, unclear incidental findings can also occur and may require further assessment (Kwee & Kwee, 2019).

4. Body Composition & Sensory Organs: The Foundation of Your Health

3D Body Scan & Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA): These analyses go far beyond the scale. They assess your body composition in a standardized way: muscle mass, body fat percentage, and indications of abdominal fat distribution. Visceral abdominal fat in particular is closely linked to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. BIA and 3D scans should be understood as screening and follow-up tools, not as replacements for reference methods such as MRI or DXA.

Audiometry & Vision Test: Hearing and vision influence quality of life and cognitive health. Untreated hearing loss from around 25 dB is associated with an increased risk of dementia in studies. Early detection creates room for action.

The combination of these four pillars provides a detailed picture of your current health. You can learn more about the methodology in our overview of longevity diagnostics in Germany.

The Next Level: What Do Evolve® and Ultimate® Measure Additionally?

For people who want a more comprehensive picture of their biology, the advanced YEARS programs offer analyses from the area of omics sciences.

Biological Age & Epigenetics: An Additional Perspective on Aging Processes

Your chronological age is fixed. Your biological age attempts to estimate how strongly certain biological markers correspond with aging processes. Epigenetic markers can provide an additional perspective on biological aging processes and are being studied intensively. However, their clinical value for individual medical decisions remains limited. At YEARS, you can have your biological age estimated to gain an additional view of your longevity potential.

Genomics & Microbiomics: Your Genetic Blueprint and Your Gut Ecosystem

Genomics (in Ultimate®): Sequencing your whole genome or exome can identify genetic variants with medical relevance, for example in relation to certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, or drug tolerability (pharmacogenetics). Such results require careful medical interpretation and, depending on the finding, human genetic counseling.

Microbiomics (in Ultimate®): Analyzing your gut flora provides insights into the diversity and composition of your microbiome, which is associated with metabolism, the immune system, and mental health. The scientific evidence is developing dynamically; clinical recommendations should therefore be interpreted carefully and in the overall context.

Liquid Biopsy: Cancer Early Detection From Blood

The TruCheck test (in Evolve® and Ultimate®) analyzes circulating tumor cells in the blood and may potentially provide indications of more than 70 different solid tumor types. The technology is under active clinical development. It complements established preventive examinations, but does not replace them. An abnormal result is not proof of a cancer diagnosis and must be clarified through further diagnostics (Kennedy et al., 2024).

From Data to Action: What Happens After the Check-up?

The most comprehensive diagnostics are only valuable when they are translated into specific, actionable steps. At YEARS, the diagnostics day is only the beginning.

Your Personal Health Report: Around two weeks after your appointment, you receive a report of more than 60 pages. All results are prepared in an understandable way and medically interpreted, with reference ranges, trend arrows, and contextual information for each marker.

The Strategy Consultation: In a detailed consultation with a physician from the YEARS medical team, you review your results. All identified areas for action are discussed, and together you develop a prioritized plan for the next 12 months.

Ongoing Support: The Evolve® and Ultimate® programs include additional check-ins and coaching sessions to support you in implementing your health goals.

What Does a Longevity Check-up at YEARS Cost?

Privately insured clients can apply for partial reimbursement depending on their insurance plan, as YEARS bills according to the German medical fee schedule (GOÄ). Whether services are reimbursed, and to what extent, depends on your contract and the medical classification.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can You Really Slow Down Your Biological Age?

Lifestyle factors such as exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress management demonstrably improve health-relevant markers. Whether and to what extent they influence epigenetic clocks is the subject of ongoing research. Individual studies point to possible effects, but the clinical meaning for individual people has not yet been conclusively clarified.

How Often Should I Repeat a Longevity Check-up?

That depends on the individual. For meaningful follow-up tracking, an annual rhythm is useful for many clients. The exact interval depends on your goals, your age, and your risk profile.

Why Is Objectively Measured Fitness More Meaningful Than How I Feel?

Objectively measured cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the most robust predictors of long-term health in large studies, far more reliable than the subjective feeling of being fit (Mandsager et al., 2018). Someone who feels “actually quite fit” can still have a VO₂max in the lower range for their age group.

This article does not replace individual medical advice.

Are You Ready to Take the First Step?

Book a non-binding consultation to find out which program is right for you.

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